Hair Falling (Alopecia)

Description

Introduction

Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body.

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair to fall out in small, random patches. The hair loss usually affects the scalp, but it can also occur in other areas of the body.

Causes

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease develops when the immune system mistakes healthy cells for foreign substances. Normally, the immune system defends your body against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. If you have alopecia, however, your immune system mistakenly attacks your hair follicles. Hair follicles are the structures from which hairs grow. The follicles become smaller and stop producing hair, leading to hair loss.

Symptoms:

The main symptom of alopecia is hair loss. Hair usually falls out in small round patches on the scalp. These patches are usually several centimetres or less. Hair loss might also occur on other parts of the body. You may first notice clumps of hair on your pillow or in the shower. However, other types of diseases can also cause hair to fall out in a similar pattern. Hair loss alone shouldn’t be used to diagnose alopecia.